The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1887-02-17
CLOCKS OF A CENTURY AGO.
styles that Were Popular In the CO.
lonial Days-Ihe lloncer Watch
maker of America.

maker of America.
Mr.. Charles s. Crossman is writing a
history of waSch and clock making in
America, says The NeW York Mail and
Express. He lis dark-haired. pleasant
hammered man. about 80 years old A
reporter gained from him historical
facts about watches and clocks.
Luther Goddard was the pioneer
matchmaker in America" MIR. Cross
man said. He began in 1909 at Shrews-
bury. Mass. The factory building was
one-story high. with hip roof. and
built on the declivity of Shrewsbury
hill. There are no traces left of the
little factory. The watches he made
were sim lar to English verge watches.
The wire, main and hair springs, bal
ance verges. chains, and pinions were
ail imported But the plates, wheels
and other brass parts Goddard cast
himself. He had with him several Brit
ish soldiers who. after tn. Revolution,
decided to remain and ply the trades
as watchmakers. He also made the
cases for the movements, which were
of the usual style; open face, double
case, and somewhat in advance of the
thick bulls eye watches of the day.
The first watch he made was sold to the
father of Ex-Governor Lincoln. of Wor-
cestor. The first attempt to manufac-
ture watches b. machinery in America
was made by Henry Pitkin in the fall of
1888. He had four apprentices each OF
whom he paid $50 and board year.
The machinery was all invented by Mr..
Pitkin, and though very crude, dis
played great originality.
Gideon Roberts was the first to
make wood clocks in Bristol, in 1890,
and one of the first to make them in
Connecticut. His clocks were the old
fashioned, hang-up. The plates were
half an inch thick and foot square.
He sawed the teeth out by hand
and the weights were tin cannisters
filed with shot. These clocks were
valued at S25 each. The one-day
weight brass clock was invented by
Chauncey Jerome, in 1888. and was the
most popular style of cheap clock for
many years. 1t was this style Of clock
that was first imported to England in
1912. Main springs were first intro
duccd in 1915, and since then the ten
dency has been to reduce clocks in size.
The small nlckle clocks, first made in
| 1876, are All outcome of this popular
demand. The colonial high-case, or
grandfather clocks, which are sought
after now by the lovers of the antique
were pretty much the only style of clock
known a century ago. The Connecticut
/ clocks did not come into use until the
beginning Of this century, so when the
colonial clocks were in vogue there
were only q few Dutch and English
! st, les besides. Many of the finer col
onial clocks of the most celebrated
makers are to b. found now in the
homes Of the wealthy lovers of the ap-
tique and rare in art These clocks are
of English origin, and date back to the
practical introduction of the pendulum
in clocks early in the seventeenth CEN
fury. Obadiah Holmes, minister,
brought the first clock of this style
from Europe to Massachusetts in 1859.
and finally, in 1850, settled in Rhode
! Island. These clocks were very expen-
sive, and Rev. Mr.. Holmes in those
days was considered very wealthy to be
able to possess one. The first know
ledge history has Of clocks being sold
England was when Joseph Essex and
Thomas Bradley offered them for sale
in Boston in 1912. Ii is more than
probable, though, that Benjamin Bag
nall was making clocks as early as this
in Boston. No correct data can be
found to prove otherwise. The first
ditinite knowledge of him was an entry
made in the treasurer book of Charles
ton. August ~, 1924, which mentioned
that he was paid so much for cleaning
the town clock. Bagnall's clocks were
rather small in size, with cast brass
lials and plain mahogany gases. Will
lam Clagget, the most celebrated col
onial clockmaker of the seventeenth
century. was born in 1896, and made
clocks at Newport. His clocks are very
SCARCE and highly pr zed. The move
ments are all fine and the cases Of good
workmanship. One now in the Rhode
Island Historical soc.ety's rooms is Of
the hanging style, and valued at high
price.
"Clagget was versatile man, and
bes dies making the best clocks of his
time he gained some prestige, by wri-
ting a rel gious book. The next maker
of Importance was John Bailey, of Han
over who fiourished during Revolution
airy times. He was man of great me-
chanical ability and progressive ideas.
He made several hundred clocks. and
the workmanship was SO fine many OF
them APE running still, almost as
good as when new. Fhey are all cased
in Iarge-sized cherry cases with brass
balls on top. Simon Willard began to
make clocks n Roxbury, Mass, in 1886,
and soon became famous. He was the
most extensive maker Of clocks of the
Colonial style in this country. He in
vented the famous Willard time piece.
HIS hall clocks were all eight-day
, clocks. AMI were usually seven feet
high. all cased in plain mahogany, with
fret work across the top. surmounted
i by three good -sized brass balls. In 1915
he made the CLOCK ip old St. Georges,
in Beekman street, New York. WHICH
kept the standard time for many years.
, The prices OF colonial clocks range
! from $50 to 800. 1t took from three
to four months 10 get clock made by
the smaller makers, and then usually a
| longer time elapsed before the maker